


Fireworks

by loonyloopylou



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Angst, Bonfire Night, Fireworks, Fluff, I promise it does end quite cute, M/M, Panic Attack, hand holding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2016-10-29
Packaged: 2018-08-27 17:51:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8410876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loonyloopylou/pseuds/loonyloopylou
Summary: “Hey,” Aaron nudged his shoulder against Robert, “you good?”
“I’m good.” He replied, smiling slightly, his eyes softening.
“Good.”
---
Robert reacts to everything that he's been through, and Aaron's there to be his shoulder to cry on.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I saw a spoiler about someone having a panic attack on bonfire night, and I thought that it would be very interesting if it was Robert. I mean, he's been through so much shit and yet somehow seems to cope??
> 
> Anyway, it's probably waaay ooc for both of them but anyway, hope you enjoy! :)

“Come on everyone! Fireworks outside in 5 minutes!” Marlon shouted across the pub, earning the response of a herd of villagers scraping chairs back and heading for the door. 

“Shall we head outside?” Aaron asked, reaching for his pint and signalling at the door and the rapidly emptying, almost empty pub. Robert nodded, downing his own drink and heading towards the back to fetch his coat.

“Not for me, love. Think I’ll just stay indoors and turn the TV up a bit, I don’t think being outside would be a good idea, do you?” Chas laughed a little self-deprecatingly, “It’ll be nice to have a bit of a break!” Liv sighed and wandered around behind the bar.

“Yeah, and I can’t be bothered to go out in the cold. I’ll just watch from my bedroom window.” She added as she walked through to the back of the pub, almost running in to Robert.

“Just the two of us, then?” he asked, fixing his collar and stopping in front of Aaron.

“Yep, come on.”

Aaron nudged at Robert’s hand as he walked passed him, almost holding on but ending up as just the brush of his fingers on the back of Robert’s own. Robert sighed, placing his hand on the small of Aaron’s back as they pushed through the doors to the front of the pub, which was heaving with the rest of the villagers all bubbling excitedly in anticipation of the display.

“Here?” Aaron asked, coming to a stop on the peripheries of the group and turning to look up into Robert’s eyes. He blinked, readjusting to the proximity of Aaron’s face to his.

“Perfect.” He smiled softly, his right hand brushing across the back of Aaron’s left feeling for the ring that he knew would be sitting there. Aaron kept looking at him, eyes slowly narrowing, frowning slightly.

“You look tired.” he stated. Robert started, the soft feeling inside of him dissipating.

“You shouldn’t be drinking.” he responded, defensively. Aaron laughed a little incredulously.

“And what has that got to do with you looking tired?”

“Nothing, I just thought we were playing a game of ‘state the obvious’” Robert retorted, sharply, rolling his eyes and looking away from Aaron back towards Marlon and Paddy who seemed to be struggling with the boxes of fireworks at the front. Aaron placed his still full pint on a bench close by.

“Robert…” 

Robert turned back to his fiancé, noticing the concerned look in his eyes and knew that it would be hopeless to resist.

“Just, after yesterday, y’know?” he asked. With a shrug looking down at his and Aaron’s feet he added, “The funeral, and everything.”

“What about it?” Aaron asked softly.

“That was almost you. It could so easily have been you and I-” he broke off, swallowing past the lump in his throat. “I couldn’t have coped without you.”

“Rob…” Aaron sighed, tears forming in his eyes. “Robert,” he called again, “look at me.”

Robert stubbornly continued to look at the damp ground, his fingers fiddling with the hem of his jacket as though worrying at a loose thread. Aaron lifted his right hand slowly and placed it gently on Robert’s cheek, carefully nudging his chin up until his beautiful, tear-filled blue-green eyes met Aaron’s.

“I’m okay, yeah? Look at me. I’m okay, you’re okay, we’re both here and we’re both fine.” he told him, his thumb caringly caressing the fading bruise along Robert’s cheekbone and up to the cut above his eye. He reached up and gently kissed him on the lips, as though giving him a physical reminder that they were both still there, that they both still had the other. “I love you.” He whispered, resting his forehead against Robert’s and closing his eyes.

“I love you, too.” Robert whispered back on a shaky sigh, finally grasping at Aaron’s left hand and rubbing his thumb over the ring that he was lucky enough to have put there.

They stood there in their own little world until loud muffled swearing from Marlon, who had accidentally let a match burn down to his fingers, caused them to pull away from each other, huffing laughter along with the rest of their neighbours around them.

“Hey,” Aaron nudged his shoulder against Robert, “you good?”

“I’m good.” He replied, smiling slightly, his eyes softening.

“Good.” Aaron nodded at him before turning away back towards where Marlon and Paddy had finally managed to get the fireworks together for the display to begin. Before fully turning away, however, he tightened his grip on Robert’s hand and pulled him closer.

With a shout of “Right! Off we go then!” came loud cheering from the cold, expectant crowd who were growing increasingly impatient with the incompetence of their hosts. 

The squeal of the first firework shooting up above the village was shortly followed by a deafening bang and a flash of red and silver. The crowd oohed loudly as Robert flinched and pulled his hand from Aaron’s tight grip. Aaron looked towards him and noticed him looking blankly ahead unlike everyone else looking above at the dissipating sparks.

The next bang exploded above their heads and Aaron watched as Robert flinched again, taking a step backwards, away from the crowd before turning towards the pub and dashing inside.

“Robert?” a confused Aaron shouted after him, following him back in to the pub.

Robert stumbled around the bar, catching his arm on the corner as the laughing, shouting and lights began to fade slightly and blur at the edges. His throat tightened, becoming increasingly difficult to breathe. His eyes blurred, involuntarily filling with tears. His pulse pounded in his ears. He pushed his way through the door into the living area and hurtled towards the stairs. He needed to get away, far away. As he got to the steps he staggered and dropped onto a step and shut his eyes, trying to focus on something. Anything.

Aaron ran into the living area soon after, but before being able to get to the stairs was intercepted by his mother.

“Aaron? Love, what’s going on?” she asked above the artificial laughter coming from the television.

“I don’t know.” He answered, panicking as he saw Robert collapsed on a step, head in his hands between his legs desperately trying to suck air into his body.

“Robert! Rob, are you okay?” he asked, grabbing at his knee.

“Stop!” Robert gasped pushing away at his hands. “Don’t -” he choked, unable to get out a sentence, just single words panted from his mouth.

“Okay, okay I’m sorry, really sorry, please just breathe with me okay? Just breathe, in and out, in and out, yeah, like that…” Aaron continued, babbling incessantly, attempting to calm Robert whose breathing was thankfully becoming steadily less erratic and frantic. Taking a breath, he turned to his mother with an alarmed look in his eyes, a silent question as to what to do next.

“Distract him, love, ask him questions.” She suggested.

“Okay,” he breathed, “Robert? Hey, so I was thinking about this wedding. Just, y’know, colours and stuff. I was thinking Christmas themed? Red and green decorations and fake snow? Maybe mum could dress as an elf? Or Cain as Mrs Claus?”

Robert spluttered what Aaron could recognise as his attempt at a laugh, while still keeping his face hidden in his shaking hands. Aaron longed to grip them, to hold them and never let go.

“Is it alright to touch you now?” Aaron asked hesitantly, not wanting to elicit the same reaction as only minutes earlier. A small nod led to him tentatively enveloping Robert’s slim wrists with his hands, feeling his rapid pulse beating under his fingertips. 

Aaron slowly worked his way to a kneeling position between Robert’s legs, still keeping a loose hold on his wrists. He gently pulled at them, finally getting a glimpse of the man that he loved so much. So much that seeing him like this hurt. Robert’s face was red and blotchy, with tears streaking down his freckled cheeks.

“Deep breaths, Rob, yeah, breathe with me, that’s it.” He repeated, breathing deeply, making sure Robert was following him. After minutes of silence aside from the tinny sound of the television in the other room and Robert’s slowing breathing his mother’s voice surprised him.

“Shall I get a glass of water?” He turned to look at her. He had almost forgotten she was there.

“Yeah… Please?” Robert answered roughly, his voice broken. 

“Alright, love.” Chas responded, smiling softly at him and leaving her position behind Aaron’s shoulder.

“Hey…” Aaron whispered, as Robert sniffed and looked down at the floor.

“I’m sorry.” He muttered, still staring at the slightly fraying carpet adorning the stairs.

“Don’t be sorry.” His heart broke thinking that Robert felt the need to apologise for his emotions. “Please baby, look at me. You don’t need to be sorry.”

“Baby?” Robert looked up, a watery grin on his face. His eyes still filled with unshed tears and his cheeks shiny from those that had fallen.  
Aaron huffed a laugh and finally released Robert’s wrists and instead wiped at his wet cheeks, his eyes getting lost in the freckle  
constellations adorning his face. 

“I love you.” Aaron declared, his hands moving to the back of Robert’s head and drawing him in to rest on his shoulder. Robert snaked his arms around Aaron’s waist, anchoring himself.

They were interrupted by a quiet cough, alerting them to Chas’s presence. Robert reached for the offered glass of water, spilling a little as his shaking hands clutched at the half filled glass. He gulped the water down eagerly, passed the glass back to Chas and replaced his head on the makeshift pillow of Aaron’s shoulder. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, the scent of Aaron’s aftershave and washing powder calming him.

Their second interruption came in the form of Liv bounding down the stairs, complaining.

“Well that was rubbish, hardly worth watching!” she moaned, coming to a stop above where Robert and Aaron were. “What’s up with him?” she asked, slightly quieter.

Her answer was two sharp glares from Aaron and Chas, along with a small shake of the head from the latter.

“Robert? Are you okay?”

He sniffed. “Uh,” he cleared his throat, “I will be.”

“Let’s leave them to it, love.” Chas said, holding her arm out for Liv to hang on to as she stepped around her brother and Robert tangled together on the step. “I’ll get you a drink…”

Their voices trailed off as they closed the door and walked back through to the pub, leaving Aaron and Robert with only the muffled sounds of voices and laughter.

“What do you want to do now?”

“Can we just go to bed? I’m knackered.”

“’Course we can.” Aaron replied with a smile. Before he began the task of untangling himself from Robert, he placed a soft kiss to his temple.

“I love you, you know.”

“I know.” He smiled. “I love you too.”

Aaron reached for Robert’s hand, pulling him to standing. He walked around him and started luring him up the stairs, towards the warm  
confines of their bedroom. 

 

Later that night, swathed in the warmth of their duvet, Robert was once again admiring the look of the beautifully simple ring adorning Aaron’s finger, interlacing their hands and relishing the feel of the cool metal against his skin.

“You didn’t mean it, did you?”

“Mean what?” Aaron responded, his mind running through endless possibilities of what Robert could mean. He panicked, thinking that Robert didn’t think that Aaron really loved him, and he was about to tell him otherwise when Robert shifted and turned towards him.

“About the wedding.” He answered. “You didn’t really think Christmas, did you? Because that’s so tacky.” Aaron let out a sigh along with a relieved laugh. “And, don’t even get me started on Cain as Mrs Claus, that’s never going to happen.”

Aaron laughed in earnest, reaching out to push and tickle at Robert. “You had me worried there for a second!”

“Sorry.” He responded, hearing the double meaning in those words, pulling Aaron back in and placing a kiss on his gel-free curls, relaxing back into the warmth of their pillows. 

“Although,” Aaron stiffened. “If a themed wedding is what you really want, then-”

But he didn’t get the chance to finish the thought. Aaron turned swiftly and pressed his mouth to Robert’s, quickly silencing him the only way he knew how.


End file.
